Substructural support for railway systems



' `(No Model.)

, Jl D! SUBS'I'RUGTURAL SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY SYSTEMS. S

Patented Sept. 18, 1894.`

Wil-F5555- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DEERING REED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUBSTRUCTURAL SUPPORT FORYRAILWAY SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Vof Letters Patent No. 526,054, datedSeptember 18, 1894.

' .Application tiled May 29. 1894. Serial No. 512,838. No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN DEERING REED, a citizen of the UnitedStateS,residingatBoston, 1n the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inSubstructural Supports for Railway Systems; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

'I his invention relates to the substructure whlch is employed to`secure in place the rails composing either street or steam railwaysystems, and furthermore which serves to prevent the rails fromspreading and upholds the joints at the meeting points of the rails.

My improvements consist primarily in the substructural arrangement ofparts which shall maintain the rails and rail-joints in proper alignmentand position for the rail system, and includes a Stringer longitudinallybeneath the rail; secondly, in a series of steel chairs which serve toclasp the Stringer and secure the latter to the ties, and further act asa metallic under-support to prevent the rail cutting into the Stringer.;thirdly, in the arrangement of elements which are located at therail-joint to prevent the breaking down of the latter, and comprising inaddition to the ties, the longitudinal Stringer, and steel chairs of asupporting metallic bar of Some four feet in length, which rests uponthe Stringer and the Steel chairs, the latter being Hush with the topsurface of the Stringer. Other characteristic features will behereinafter fully described an'd set forth.

The method of fastening and securing the spikes which pass through metalparts which compose the structure hasbeen fully set forth in a patentissued in my name on the 17th day of December, 1889, and numbered417,283.

The drawings represent in Figure 1 a vertical transverse section of asteam railway supporting structure embodying myinvention, the sectionbeing taken at a joint. Fig. 2 is a similar view as applied to a streetrailway system, likewise at a joint. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thereinforce plates.

In said drawings 2 represents the ordinary cross ties upon whichheretofore, particularly `in steam railway systems, it has beencustomary to lay the rails and spike them drectly to said ties. Underthis method the rail meets a Wooden surface and the ties soon out outand become worthless. In lieu of this construction I proposerto providea longitudinal Stringer 3 beneath the `rail 4, while to firmly unitethese two elements together I place steel chairs 5 of such form thatlthey clasp about the girder and extend over upon the tie in the shapeof an angle foot 6. Spikes 7. 7. 7. secure the whole rigidly together. ment, as above premised, it willbe seen that the rail is given anunderneath metallic support, which prevents said rail from cutting intoand destroying the wood. Furthermore to give By the arrangegreater support to the rail the steel chairs are let into the girder, so thatpractically the girder has a uniformly level top surface with transversemetallic plates at intervals, or Wherever a chair may be located. Thusin the substructural system above premised the rail not only has acontinuous rest in the shape of the girder, but it has an underneathmetallic support at intervals, and there is no tendency to rock or tip,since the steel chairs obviate this action to a great extent, while theStringer can not be cut. Thus a very heavy rail can be employed withoutliability of injury or rapid deterioration to the road-bed structure.

In the proper maintenance of a rail system, it is very necessary thatthe rail-joint should have a firm solid support, to overcome thepounding action of the wheels in passing this point. In my presentimprovements, I employ a supporting bar 8, so termed, which ispreferably some two and one-half feet in length, eight and one-halfinches in'width and one-half inch in thickness. This is laid upon thegirder and is supported conjointly by the latter and the steel chairsbefore mentioned. Above this is placed the rail, while laterally of therail are Secured gage-plates 10, these latter being of the same lengthas the snpportingbar. These several elementsthe chairs, the supportingbar, and the gagebars-are all bored, as shown in Fig. 1, and plugged at12 with some kind of Wood. Spikes 13 driven therethrough and which passinto the stringer and cross tie serve t0 IOO hold these parts rigidly inposition. The ordinary fish-plate 14 and bolts l5 are employed to unitethe rails longitudinally. By this method in the use of the Stringer andthe chairs, the latter being the rigid joint and upon which rests thesupporting bar, I create a firmly suspended joint support. The ordinarygravel tamping as employed in steam railways serves to hold the entirestructure in place. In order to maintain the rail approximately in ahorizontal plane and to enable it to rest upon the Stringer at allpoints, except at the joint where the supporting bar occurs,

the Stringer is cut out to admit of the supporting bar in order to oisetthis increase in height occasioned by the thickness of the saidsupporting bar, while the chairs are positioned under the bar.

In Fig. 2 is shown a portion of a street railway system in which thesaine arrangement of parts is employed. Here the improved street rail isshown at 4', the ties at 2', the Stringer at 3', holding spikes at 7',the supporting bar at 8', which is of greater thickness to compensatefor the flat rail which is of less depth in cross section than the Trail in Fig. l. Furthermore a plugged hole is extended through the bar8' and the chair, while a spike 13' which is driven into the plug servesto hold the rail in place and bind the latter, the supporting bar, andthe chair, all to the girder. Where the improved rail 2' is used thepavements (indicated in broken lines) can be laid up snugly as shown.

It will be understood that since the stringers are rigidly attached bythe steel chairs to the cross ties, no cross-tie rods are required, asheretofore, to prevent the stringers and rails from spreading.

In some instances where my system is adapted to be substituted for theordinary joint, and to remedy the defects in a rail-joint Where one endof the rail has been pounded down I propose to employ a reinforce plateso called. This is a thin steel blank 20, shown at Fig. 3 with a turnedup or transversely bent end. In repairing a joint this plate 2O isadjusted across and beneath the low end ot` the rail and between saidrail and the supporting-bar, as shown in Fig. 2. This serves to raisethe end of the rail a trifle high and thus causes itto meet the wheel,and since the rail end has a firm metallic support, the pounding actionof the Wheel now tends to beneath the rail end in Fig. 2, but the formof said plate 2O is adapted for use in the steam rail systemasillustrated in Fig. 1,an d will have the same relative position, that1s between the rail 4 and the supporting bar 8.

1. The structural support for railway .systems consisting of a series ofcross-ties, str1ngers longitudinally beneath each rail and which restupon the ties, metal chairs which span the girders and are adapted tounite each girder with the cross-ties, said girders and chairs beingadapted to form a continuous level surface, comprising alternatesurfaces of wood and metal upon which the rails rest, substantially asand for purposes eX- plained.

2. In structural supports for railway systenis, the combination withcrossties, stringers which rest upon the cross-ties and extendlongitudinally beneath the rails, of metallic chairs which extend overand about the stringers, and a supporting-bar located beneath the railand which rests upon the upper surface of the stringers here composed ofalternate surfaces ot' wood and metal, substantially as specified.

3. In structural supports for steam railways, the combination withcross-ties, longitudinal stringers, metallic chairs which pass aboutsaid stringers and unite them with the cross-ties, of a supporting-bar,gage-plates laterally ot the rail, and devices for uniting thesupporting-bar, gage-bars, and chairs with the stringers and cross-ties,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with suitable crossties, stringers which rest thereonand extend longitudinally beneath each rail, of a metallicsupporting-bar beneath a rail-joint, a reinforce plate between the railend and said supporting-bar, and chairs which span the stringers andunite them with the cross-ties, substantially as set forth and stated.

In testimony whereof I ai'ix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN DEERING REED.

Witnesses:

I-I. E. LODGE, FRANCIS C. STANWooD.

